Mary Jane Smith-Waldman (1986) - CSUN Athletics Hall of Fame

Mary Jane Smith-Waldman

Induction:
1986
Class:
1975

Mary Jane Smith-Waldman was inducted into the CSUN Athletics Hall of Fame in 1986. An accomplished student-athlete when she arrived at CSUN, Smith-Waldman was instrumental in establishing Northridge as an NCAA Division II Women's Volleyball power.

In 1974, Smith-Waldman led the Lady Matadors to a fifth-place finish in regional competition. In 1975, she helped CSUN improve its ranking to third in the region and No. 12 nationally. In October 1975, she also received the College Master Athletic Achievement Award and was named CSUN's Athlete of the Year. Smith-Waldman was also recognized as a multi-time All-American, MVP, and All-League selection.

At Los Angeles Pierce College, she competed on both the gymnastics and volleyball teams. She was selected as the Most Valuable Gymnast in 1972 and 1973 and was also chosen as the Most Valuable Women's and Co-Ed Volleyball player in 1973.

Since leaving CSUN, she has played on numerous national and international teams and been active in organizing and running volleyball camps around the country.

Smith-Waldman remained active in coaching, serving as an assistant women's coach at the University of Rhode Island in 1983 and as the head volleyball coach at Rutgers University in 1984. She later completed extensive research on the sport, publishing A History of Women's Volleyball in the United States. After she passed away in 2011, CSUN honored her memory for several years by hosting an annual Zumbathon event to raise money for breast cancer research.

Smith-Waldman graduated from CSUN in 1975. During her undergraduate career, she earned the 1975 College Master Achievement Award. She later returned to complete her Master's degree in Kinesiology